Container opener



' April 26,1938.

R. e. SMYTHE CONTAINER OPENER Filed Feb. 17, 1936 J '25 I 24 Egg j 24 15.2

I r 22 I] 11 23 4 3 a I v T llaam l pyqazzql INVENTOR Patented Apr. 26,1938 TEDSTA'FE TE T F CONTAINER, OPENER Richard G. Smythe, New Yon-kin.Y. k Application February 17, 1936, Serial No. 64,315 2 Claims- (oL 65-4This invention relates to container openers and more particularly toopeners for removing stoppers and covers from containers such asbottles, jars, cans and the like.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide improvedmeans for removing corks and other types of stoppers from containers ofthe above-mentioned types of containers.

Another object is to provide a device for removmg the cork types ofstoppers, which has an increased lifting power over those now known tome. A further object is to provide in the same device an eiilcient meansof unscrewing metallic screw caps from containers, and also means forlifting "pressure-type caps from food jars such as the Anchor type caps.Still another object is to provide a means in the same device forlifting ice cubes and other articles.

The means I prefer to employ for accomplishing the above-mentionedobjects, together with other advantageous and novel features of myimproved container opener, are illustrated in the Gil drawingaccompanying and forming part of' this specification, and in which- Fig.1 is a front elevation of one form of my improved container opener.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the same taken on the line 22 ofFig. 3, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same taken on the line 3-3 of Fig.1.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 2 indicates the frame of thedevice and said frame has a base portion 3 of annularform adapted torest on the mouth of a bottle when extracting the stopper therefrom, twoupright portions 4, each having a series of teeth 5 formed thereon, anda connecting portion 6 which includes two pairs of pivotal portions 8.There are two slots 3, each of which separates the two pivotal portionsof a pair of the same, and said slots serve as working spaces for twogear segments Ill, each segment joined to a lever I l which extendsoutwardly.

There are two pivot sleeves l2, one for each a pair of pivotal portions8, and two bolts or screws l3, one for each such pivot sleeve i2, saidsleeves having collars II which are clamped adjacent the outer faces ofthe rearward pivotal portions of the pairs of the same, while the boltsl3 bear 50 against the washers l5 and these against the forward pivotalportions of said pairs and hold the sleeves fixed so that the respectivegear segments can turn thereon, thus permitting their respective leversto turn about the pivot sleeves l2. The washers ii are preferablyinterposed between which are used in the hooks 23.

thescollars and the screw heads and the adjacent faces of the pivotalportions 8.

Guide. ways ll preferably having rectilinear surfaces are formed in theframe between the pairs of pivotal portions 8, and slidable toand 5 froin said ways is a member l3 provided with gear elements such as thecircular apertures I, there being a setof said elements on each side ofsaid member I! and with which the gear elements 20 of the segments inmesh for causing the mem- 10 her I! to reciprocate when the levers IIare swung. At the lowerpart of the member I! is secured a stopperextracting device 2| preferably helical in form and preferablynon-rotary.

Each of the levers II has a series of teeth 22 16 formed opposite theteeth 5 on the frame uprights 4. Outward of the teeth 22 are hooks. 23

removing covers from jars and cans and the operation of which willpresently be described. There is a ring 24 which is so placed in'theaperture 25 of the member l8, which ring acts as a stop to limit thedownward movement of the member ID and also may be used to hang thedevice to a hook or peg.

The operation of my improved container open- 25 er is as follows: I

For extracting corks and like stoppers from bottles, the annular basemember 3 is placed on and pressed against the bottle mouth and thelevers II are then pulled by hand outwardly and upwardly, causing thegear segments ID to move the reciprocating member l8 downward and withit the extracting device 2i, down into the cork or stopper. The levers Hare then moved in the op-. posite direction, thus pulling theextractorand 35 with it the cork, upward. The pair of levers exertsgreat force for pulling stoppers, as both hands can be applied tothelevers for moving the same.

For removing screw caps from bottles and jars 40 the caps are placedbetween the set of teeth 5 and the lever teeth 22 and the lever H isthen pulled toward the'frame 2 thus causing the caps to be very tightlyheld, and the device is then swung so as to unscrew the caps.

Pressure type caps are removed by means of The free end I la of one ofthe levers H is placed on top of a cap and the hook 23 is placed underthe flange or turned under part of the cap and the remainder of theopener is then grasped in the hand and pulled upward, causing the cap tobe lifted at one side from the bottle or jar on which it is placed.

The device is used for lifting ice cubes and other articles by placingits annular base portion a a on top of the cube and closingthe lowerends I In of the levers ell against the cube and lifting it'as desired.7 Thus the cubes can, be lifted Irom one receptacle to another withoutuse of special 7 tongs and without touching them with the hand.

What I claim is:,- 1

posed sets of spaced annular sockets a stopper extractor secured tothe-lower part'of the verti- 'cal1y movable member, two-gear segmentsbetween" said plates each-engaging a set of (said sockets, and twolevers one on each segment, said irame and the pairs of spaced platesthereof 'en-,

-a,11c,aee r closing and eflectiveasguards for the movable gearelements. 2. A container opener comprising which includes a portion torest on the mouth of the container, two spaced plates, portionsconnecting the plates, said portionshaving rectangu a frame I lar slotstherethrough and two struts connecting the plates with .theflrst-me'ntionedpo'rtion, tw

member recipr'ocative in'said slots and .flxed levers pivoted-bysaidplatea; gear elements movi f able withfsaid levers onefset for each,lever, a

against rotation'therein and having spaced-aper turesoppositely andmeshing respective- I 1y with the lever gear elements for reciprocating.said member, and .a stopper extracting means fixed on the lower part'oi! and movable with the} j reclprocative member,sa1d frame andthe pairsof a r spaced plates thereof enclosing and effective as? I 1 guards forthe movable gear elements,

